A decade of campaigning now comes down to just three days.

The fight against plans to transfer specialist services away from Maidstone Hospital began in 2000.

Last December, all seemed lost when health secretary Andrew Lansley approved a plan to move the maternity and children's units to Pembury.

But there is one last hope - a judicial review, which legal experts at KCC believe we can win.

The appeal must be lodged by Monday, and at about £30,000 must be raised to cover the legal costs.

The Kent Messenger launched its appeal to help raise the money last week and since then we have received £1,939.77, plus a £5,000 pledge from an anonymous benefactor.

Fundraising can continue after the submission deadline.

Dennis Fowle, chairman of the campaign group MASH (Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital) said: “We are making good progress on trying to ensure that the judicial review takes place.

"We are highly optimistic that it will.

“I am very grateful to hear of the encouraging early support the appeal has received within just a few days.”

If just 20 pence was donated for every man, woman and child in the Maidstone borough, the amount needed to fund the review would be raised.

This week, Kent Messenger staff (above) joined the hundreds of others who had put in money to the appeal, the first of whom to do so was mum Sherry Johnson from Park Wood, Maidstone.